Stop Mayawati from erecting statues with public funds: petition

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) A public interest petition was filed Friday in the apex court seeking that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati be restrained from installing statues og herself and of the party symbol elephant using public funds. Filed by lawyer Ravi Kant, the petition also sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the misuse of public funds, alleging hundreds of crores of rupees of public money was being spent to “glorify” the chief minister.

“The activity is being carried out as a state policy, which is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. Sixty statues of elephant, the party symbol of the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), were installed at a cost of Rs. 52.20 crore at public places by utilising state funds,” the petition alleged.

The lawyer, who has made Mayawati along with her party and the state chief secretary respondents, said the state government should be directed to remove the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol from public land.

“Every action taken by the government must be in public interest. The government cannot act arbitrarily and without reason and if it does, its action would be liable to be invalidated,” the petition contended.